Latest news with #FloridaJudicialQualificationsCommission
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Florida Circuit Judge to resign after probe
After a disciplinary panel last month recommended she be removed from the bench, Hillsborough County Circuit Judge Nancy Jacobs will resign May 31, according to documents released Friday by the Florida Supreme Court. Jacobs submitted her resignation to Gov. Ron DeSantis after a lengthy, contentious probe into issues such as her conduct during a 2022 election campaign. A hearing panel of the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission on April 30 issued a recommendation that said it concluded 'removal is the only appropriate discipline warranted by the circumstances.' The commission investigates judicial conduct and makes recommendations to the Supreme Court, which has ultimate disciplinary authority. The probe, in part, involved what the hearing panel described as 'a series of inappropriate and/or disparaging remarks' made about Jacobs' 2022 election opponent, then-Circuit Judge Jared Smith. Jacobs defeated Smith, who was then appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis to the 6th District Court of Appeal. Jacobs battled the allegations of improper conduct, including pointing to First Amendment rights. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hillsborough Judge Nancy Jacobs to resign after panel recommends removal
TAMPA — Hillsborough Circuit Judge Nancy Jacobs will resign from the bench at the end of May, she announced Friday, weeks after a state disciplinary panel recommended she be removed from office. The panel of the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission found that Jacobs violated judicial canons — ethical rules that govern the conduct of judges and those running for the bench — in her bitterly contested 2022 campaign against Judge Jared Smith. The race, in which abortion rights became a major issue, featured hints of political partisanship, which is unusual for a Florida judicial contest. The panel concluded that Jacobs' conduct made her unfit for office. Her resignation, which is effective May 31, comes as the Florida Supreme Court weighed whether to adopt the panel's recommendations. 'I step aside with my integrity intact and my voice unwavering,' Jacobs said in a statement Friday. 'Serving as a judge has been one of the greatest honors of my professional life. I am not perfect but I have always strived to uphold the Constitution, ensure equal justice under law, and protect the rights of those who come before the court. I remain committed to the rule of law, to civil liberties, and to the idea that no person should be silenced for speaking out on matters of public concern. I thank the voters of Hillsborough County for allowing me to serve.' This is a developing story. Stay with for updates.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Judge suspended for making ‘G-rated dad jokes' about defendants. He claims he was ‘trying to lighten the tension'
A judge in Florida was suspended for telling "inappropriate, undignified, or discourteous" jokes to help "lighten the tension" in the courtroom. The Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission has indefinitely suspended Broward Circuit Judge Gary Farmer Jr for making jokes during his hearings, according to Law & Crime. Many of the comments reportedly occurred during felony criminal hearings last August. During one case, a defendant had reportedly impregnated three women all within nine months of each other. 'OK, you've been busy,' Farmer said during the session. 'You were just shooting all over the place! That's good, do you know their names? First and last? Romantic are you? Don't tell Susie about Jane, don't tell Jane about Mary. God bless you, man. One's enough.' Later he joked about ordering the man to wear a condom. 'I'm going to order that you wear a condom at all times. For your own good. OK? Probation is going to check. No, I'm kidding. I'm kidding," Farmer said. When the defendant's appointed defender turned out to be a woman, the judge told the man "don't get her pregnant." During another case, a defendant was named Georgia, and Farmer began singing a song about "sweet Georgia" and making jokes about peaches. 'You're supposed to say 'peachy.' How you doin', Georgia? Peachy!' Farmer said. Though it's unclear why, Farmer also reportedly "quoted extensively" from a sketch performed by Marlon Wayans on "In Living Color," according to the commission. Farmer knew his jokes weren't landing, admitting at one point during a trial that he was telling 'exceptionally, exceptionally bad jokes.' But he appears to have persisted. During a bond hearing, a defense attorney representing a suspect facing first-degree kidnapping charges joked with the judge about the nature of the kidnapping. 'I gotta tell you judge, in the history of kidnappings, this would be the first time someone gets kidnapped and taken to a strip club," the defense attorney said. Farmer replied: 'I was about to say, I think there's a long list of husbands who have claimed exactly that in the past. We've all been taken against our will.' The judge responded to the allegations that his jokes were "inappropriate" and "undignified" by insisting they were meant to be helpful, not harmful. 'These jokes were said to lighten tension, reduce stress for criminal defendants, and show a sense of humanity,' Farmer said. 'They generally are G-rated 'Dad jokes' that are corny but not offensive, and were not degrading to the solemnity of the proceedings.' Farmer previously served in the Florida State Legislature as a Democrat. It's unclear when or if he'll return to the bench.
